This invention relates generally to cleaning apparatus, such as a cleaning tool, or brush, which also includes a hand shield.
Prior-art portable cleaning tools, including scrappers, brushes, and the like exist in many varied forms. A few examples of such varied cleaning tools, spanning the years, include a utility kitchen brush described in U.S. Pat. No. 5,317,779 to Hoagland, a cleaning implement described in U.S. Pat. No. 856,168 to Lykken and a scrubbing brush described in U.S. Pat. No. 36,309 to Schweizer et al. A difficulty with most such cleaning tools is that when they are used users often scrape their knuckles and/or get cleaning chemicals on their hands. Thus, it is an object of this invention to provide a shield for use with a portable cleaning tool which protects a user's hand when the cleaning tool is being used. Similarly, it is an object of this invention to provide a portable cleaning apparatus including a hand shield and cleaning tool which is not unduly restricted in its use.
A number of prior art brushes and pads have been specifically designed for primarily cleaning grills. Examples of such tools are described in U.S. Pat. No. 2,824,323 to Tos et al; U.S. Pat. No. 3,487,491 to Dunn; U.S. Pat. No. D307,077 to Bryant; U.S. Pat. No. D358,491 to Hoagland; U.S. Pat. No. D282,604 to Whitaker; and U.S. Pat. No. D366,962 to Whitaker. A problem with most of the devices described in these prior art patents is that they cannot be conveniently used with hot grills. In this regard, it is often desirable to clean grills when they are extremely hot, however, with most grill brushes, one must place his hand relatively close to a grill where it receives an undue amount of radiated and convected heat. Thus, it is an object of this invention to provide a cleaning apparatus which can be conveniently and safely used for cleaning hot grills.
It has been suggested to apply drip shields along water-supply-pipe handles of brushes to prevent water from running along the pipe handles to users of window and automobile washing apparatus. U.S. Pat. No. 358,875 to Nichols; U.S. Pat. No. 1,674,207 to Krill; and U.S. Pat. No. 1,715,907 to Drageln disclose such washing apparatus. Although these shields protect users from water running along the water-supply-pipe handles, because of their positions they do not protect user's hands from liquids, chemicals and the like which are splashed from cleaning heads of the cleaning tools. Further, these cleaning shields can sometimes get in the way and cannot be remove without disassembling the water-supply-pipe handles.
Similarly, it has been suggested to place a cover, or shield on a handle of a water-supplied griddle-cleaning brush to protect a hand of an operator, "from splashes of water or detergent", in U.S. Pat. No. 4,516,870 to Nakazato. Although such a shield described in the Nakazato patent is sometimes helpful, especially in the particular water-supplied situation described by Nakazato, it also can at other times be quite awkward to use and, on occasion, can get in the way.
Thus, it is another object of this invention to provide a cleaning apparatus which includes a shield for shielding a user's hand only when desired so that the shield does not obstruct use of the cleaning apparatus when no shield is needed. Similarly, it is an object of this invention to provide a cleaning apparatus which is convenient to use for cleaning both hot and cold grills at any location. It is also an object of this invention to provide such a cleaning apparatus which can be constructed relatively inexpensively.
Finally, it is an object of this invention to provide a shield for a grill-cleaning tool which can easily transform the grill-cleaning tool from a cold-grill-cleaning tool to a hot-grill-cleaning tool, and vice versa.